Alcalá de los Gazules, "the next Vejer"?

Alcalá has just been voted the most magical town in Andalucía (of course some of us have always known that, but now it's official).  There is no doubt that the number of visitors has increased dramatically over the last few years, especially since the Covid pandemic as more people opt for self-catering holidays in the countryside rather than crowded beach hotels. (They are easy to spot, wearing shorts in November and frowning at their phones trying to work out in which of the narrow backstreets their accommodation is.)

The number of self-catering holiday lets in Alcalá has gone from two or three pre-Covid to over thirty today, as enterprising young people convert their late grandparents' abandoned dwellings into sparkling new air-conditioned apartments with fitted kitchens, hot-tubs and Ikea's finest wall art (see a list of them here). Of course, it's great to see semi-derelict properties restored and it provides work for local builders, but one can't help wondering if and when a saturation point will be reached. 

When we bought our house here in 2005 were were told by the estate agent that "Alcalá would be the next Vejer", referring to Vejer de la Frontera, a popular pueblo blanco not far from the fine beaches of the Costa de la Luz where property prices were more than twice those in Alcalá.  This was a prospect relished by those who had bought cheap houses here hoping to do them up and sell them for a handsome profit. (The financial crisis of 2008 burst that bubble and prices fell steeply, leaving many saddled with properties they couldn't sell.) Today Vejer's historic centre is almost entirely given over to holiday lets and local people, priced out of the market, live on the outskirts. Parking in the centre of Alcalá has already reached crisis point, and an influx of holidaymakers is making it worse.  My fingers remain crossed that Alcalá will NOT become the next Vejer ... 

The Ayuntamiento has been working hard in the last few years to make the town more attractive to visitors.  There are attractive welcome signs on the roads into town, signposts on every street corner directing you to places of interest (including some that don't exist yet), the fence separating the Paseo from the municipal park has been taken down and replaced with a sculptural tribute to the cork-workers, and there are potted plants everywhere you look. There are more festivals, concerts and special events than ever, ranging from classic cars to greyhound races. The annual Feria de Tapas gives local bars and caterers a chance to show off their wares.  Last year a collection of life-size dinosaurs appeared on the route to the castle, and two new museums are due to open on the Plaza Alta in 2026 - one exhibiting artefacts from life in Alcalá during the 20th century, and the other an "experience" dedicated to the town's most famous adopted son, pop star Alejandro Sanz, complete with a karaoke stand where you can sing his songs.

 

Two other initiatives by young alcalaínos have made a big impact on the town's status,  Guided walking tours by historian Juan Pedro Romero Benítez attract large numbers of visitors every weekend, and Fabula Viviencia Rural, set up by Antonio Coca Mesa, welcomes schoolchildren to visit his old family farm and get to learn about life in the campo.  Antonio also breeds the rare Andalusian donkeys, which the children get to ride.

Overall I am not too worried about Alcalá becoming the next Vejer.  I speak to visitors when ever I get the chance, and they seem to come here for different reasons - they may be more interested in the countryside than the beach, and Alcalá has always been a mecca for birdwatchers and mountain-bikers.  They certainly get more for their money here accommodation-wise, and the town is great for children who can play safely in the park or on the Paseo while their parents enjoy a drink.  We might not have the variety of restaurants that Vejer offers, but speaking from experience I'd say the service is considerably better - customers are still made to feel welcome, rather than being treated as "just another tourist".